Podcast Summary: The Futur with Chris Do

Episode 386: How to Take Creative Risks and Win w/ Craig Black

Release Date: October 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Chris Do sits down with Scottish visual artist Craig Black to explore the power and necessity of taking creative risks. The wide-ranging conversation charts Craig’s journey from professional soccer player to typographer to internationally acclaimed artist and entrepreneur. Listeners gain candid insight into the failures, pivots, and bold gambles that defined his path—culminating in the invention of his acrylic fusion technique and collaborations with some of the world’s leading brands. The discussion also explores the emotional dynamics of risk-taking, the importance of self-initiated work, balancing commercial and creative aspirations, and the power of family support.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introduction to Craig Black and Acrylic Fusion (00:13–05:52)

• Background & Artistry:
  Craig introduces himself as a visual artist from Scotland, working with global brands and collectors using his unique acrylic fusion technique—an experimental way of blending paints on diverse surfaces. His wife Ali manages their studio and they travel the world with their daughter, Olivia.

• Notable Project:
  Chris asks about the viral Porsche car collaboration.

  • Craig explains that instead of pouring paint directly onto the car (which raised concerns with Porsche), he created a large-scale canvas artwork, photographed it in high resolution, and then used those images to wrap the car.
  • Craig (01:54): “Porsche reached out to us and says, can you pour paint on our car? ...I had to think how I could apply my artwork to that car...So my artwork was then wrapped onto the car.”

• The Role of Breathwork in Art:
  Craig reveals how breath subtly shapes his pieces, getting intricate blends impossible to achieve with tools like a straw or hairdryer.

  • Craig (04:05): “I use gravity, the physicality of moving paint. But for intricate detail, I use my breath... those blends that happen organically are so beautiful that I can’t physically recreate in any other way.”

2. The Soccer-to-Artist Transformation (08:14–21:24)

• Early Life Aspirations:
  Craig shares his lifelong dream to be a professional soccer player—driven by family and a deep love for the game. Evenings off the pitch were spent drawing soccer-related items.

  • Craig (09:42): “When I couldn’t play outside, I’d get my paper and pens out and draw soccer boots...everything football-related, but in a creative sense.”

• Crucial Mentor Encounter:
  After leaving soccer due to frustration and lack of fulfillment, a chance meeting with his former art teacher (Paul Murray) reignites his passion for art. Paul returns Craig’s old portfolio, having kept it safe for years, ultimately encouraging him to pursue an art and design college course.

  • Craig (14:13): “He said to me, Craig, you were crap at football anyway; why don’t you go study art and design?”

• Design Career & Lifelong Dreams:
  Craig details the eventual blend of his two worlds: designing the typeface for his boyhood team, the Rangers Football Club—a childhood dream that tied together his creative and sporting past.

3. Reinvention, Taking Risks, & Birth of Acrylic Fusion (25:05–34:19)

• Pivot After Success:
  Having reached the pinnacle of his typographic career, Craig chooses to pursue his ambition to become a full-time visual artist. The leap is inspired by a random encounter with paint patterns on his wife’s gym leggings!

  • He throws himself into experimenting with paint pouring and eventually develops his signature acrylic fusion technique.

• The Footballs Project:

  • To launch his new identity, Craig embarks on a self-initiated project: pouring acrylic fusion art onto footballs (soccer balls) representing countries in Euro 2020. He documents the process with a professional content team despite limited resources.
  • The gamble pays off. The project’s viral success brings global attention and commissions from UEFA, the Premier League, and FIFA.

• The Calculated Gamble:

  • Craig and Ali use nearly all their savings to fund the content and materials for the football project.
  • Craig (34:50): “To bring this to life, it was going to be a huge financial risk... I just knew it was the right thing to do and I did it. And it literally, three days later, my first client was UEFA.”

4. Practical Advice: How to Break Through as a Creative (39:54–44:55)

Chris and Craig distill the episode’s lessons into actionable insights for listeners:

Craig’s Keys to Creative Breakthroughs

• Have a Unique Selling Point:
  Develop something distinct and authentic to you.

• Produce Outstanding Content:
  Invest in high-quality photography and video to showcase your work—think about how brands could use your assets, and make it easy for them to envision collaboration.

  • Craig (40:16): “If the brand can envision using these assets, it makes their life easier.”

• Be Bold in Outreach:
  Don’t hesitate to contact potential clients or feature your work on multiple platforms and media outlets. Overcome fear by sharing your work widely.

  • Craig (42:33): “If I didn’t have the bravery to send [my work]... it may have not happened.”

Chris’s Additional Takeaways

• Tap Deep Passions:
  Align your work with things people are genuinely passionate about, like sports or culturally significant events.
• Think in Campaigns, Not One-Offs:
  Plan extended content and storytelling, not just individual projects.
• Time Your Work With Cultural Moments:
  Use newsworthy or emotionally charged contexts to increase impact and visibility.

5. Balancing Creative Integrity with Commercial Success (45:36–48:33)

• Studio Philosophy & Family Values:
  Craig and Ali intentionally keep their business small to maximize family time and maintain authenticity. They turn down offers to scale into a large “art factory” to preserve creative control.

  • Craig (45:36): “We value family time more than anything... I also think that's very, very important to the consumer and to whoever's buying the artwork—like, you know, that came from my hands and that means more to me than anything.”

• Personal Definition of Success:
  For Craig, fulfillment comes not from financial gain or scale, but from happiness, creating with loved ones, and traveling together as a family.

6. The Next Generation: Legacy and Support (48:33–49:38)

• Advice for His Daughter:
  If Olivia, his daughter, decides to abandon convention and chase a wild idea at 18, Craig’s stance is unequivocal:
  • Craig (48:56): “Go all in. Whatever she wants to do in this world, I’m going to support her no matter what, because that’s the support I got when I was younger.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Craig Black (14:13):
  “He said to me, Craig, you were crap at football anyway; why don’t you go study art and design?”
  [On his mentor steering him toward his true path.]

• Craig Black (34:50):
  “To bring this to life, it was going to be a huge financial risk... I just knew it was the right thing to do and I did it. And it literally, three days later, my first client was UEFA.”

• Craig Black (49:38):
  “Feel the fear. It’s real. Do it any way.”

Important Timestamps

• 00:13 – Craig introduces himself, the acrylic fusion technique, and his studio dynamic
• 01:54 – The Porsche project and technical art application workaround
• 04:05 – Breathwork and its role in Craig’s painting process
• 08:41 – Transition from professional soccer to creativity
• 14:13 – Paul Murray’s pivotal mentorship moment
• 21:24 – Childhood love of typography and realizing a dream project
• 25:05 – The pivot from design to art, invention of acrylic fusion
• 34:50 – The all-in risk: using family savings for the football art project
• 39:54 – Practical advice for creatives breaking through
• 45:36 – Balancing creative work with commercial opportunities and family values
• 48:56 – On supporting his daughter’s future dreams

Final Reflection

Craig Black’s story is one of reinvention, putting family first, and listening to that persistent inner voice. The episode’s core message—feel the fear, do it anyway—is delivered with warmth, Scots humor, and practical wisdom, leaving creative risk-takers and entrepreneurs both inspired and grounded. Craig’s success is rooted in deep authenticity, focused creativity, the willingness to gamble and fail, and the quiet, crucial support of loved ones.

Find Craig Black:

• Instagram: @_craigblack
• LinkedIn: Craig Black
• TikTok: @_craigblack
• Website: craigblack.com